As conventional building methods become increasingly expensive, it has become more desirable for prospective homeowners to consider using prefabricated elements, e.g., completed floor frame assemblies, for building new homes. Such floor frame assemblies are most conveniently manufactured at one location and then, with or without the addition thereto of a roof, walls, windows, doors and other superstructure, are towed along public highways to their ultimate destinations.
If the ultimate structure is to be located in one place for a long time, it would be desirable to be able to detach the wheels and towing hitch for reuse elsewhere. Sometimes, however, it is intended that the dwelling should be only temporary, e.g., to serve as an office for a construction superintendent at a building site, in which case it may be more practical to leave the structure mounted on a wheel assembly so as to be partially supported by the towing hitch. It can then be readily towed as desired.
Considerable work has been done in the field of this invention in meeting the above-outlined needs. Some of the known solutions are exemplified in my own patents, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,716,267, 4,015,375, 4,019,299, 4,106,258, 4,863,189 and 4,930,809, all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Each of these patents teaches a solution which may be optimum under particular circumstances.
For example, the above-incorporated U.S. Pat. No. 4,930,809, teaches a unified floor frame assembly that has outer load-bearing elongate beam sections which are butt-spliced to be cambered in parallel vertical planes to counter forces which tend to cause sagging of a very long floor frame assembly during transportation thereof. Similarly, another above-incorporated patent, U.S. Pat. No. 4,863,189, discloses a towable floor frame assembly formed principally of wood material, with inner load-bearing beams being optionally formed of multi-veneered wood connected by a cambered connection made of metal and/or being further strengthened by elongate outer metal channel-section elements attached to the wood. Each of my other above-incorporated patents teaches floor frame assembly structures in which a pair of internally disposed steel I-beams provide a substantial portion of the lengthwise load-bearing capacity.
There remains, however, a need for improvements in floor frame assemblies, and the present invention addresses a need for a relatively light but very strong unified floor frame assembly to which may be attached readily detachable wheels and a towing hitch for maximum versatility in use as described hereinabove.